Anxiety and Navigation Ability: The Mediating Role of Exploratory Behavior and Moderating Role of Gender

Abstract

A cross-sectional study examining the relationship between spatial anxiety and navigational ability (i.e., sense of direction) among 772 college students, with a focus on the parallel mediating effects of exploratory behavior and the moderating role of gender. The results showed that spatial anxiety directly and negatively predicted navigation ability. Exploration behaviors served as parallel mediators in this relationship. Furthermore, gender moderated the first half of the mediation path, with a stronger negative effect of spatial anxiety on exploration tendency observed in females. These findings enhance the mechanistic understanding of how spatial anxiety affects navigation ability and underscore the importance of exploratory behavior and gender differences.